


A Day In The Life (A Conclave Story)

by angelholme



Series: Harry Potter and The Lords Of Time [2]
Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Daria (Cartoon), Doctor Who (2005), Eureka, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Millennium (TV), Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-20
Updated: 2013-09-20
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:11:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelholme/pseuds/angelholme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day to day chores of patrolling and protecting the time line, as seen by those who do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer**
> 
>  
> 
> Harry Potter (et al) belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> Walter Blythe (et al) belong to Lucy Maud Montgomery.
> 
> Daria Morgendorffer (et al) belong to Glen Eichler.
> 
> Amelia Pond (et al) belong to Stephen Moffat.
> 
> Zoey Carter (et al) belong to Andrew Cosby and Jamie Paglia.
> 
> Jordan Black (et al) belong to Chris Carter.
> 
> Xena and Gabrielle belong to John Schulian and Robert G. Tapert.
> 
> Xander Harris (et al) belong to Joss Whedon.
> 
> Lynda Day (et al) belong to Stephen Moffat.
> 
> Cosette (et al) belong to Victor Hugo.
> 
> There may be other references and characters that I use in the story, but as the plot is currently in flux I can not say for sure who they will be, but in any case I am not claiming any ownership or copyrights.
> 
> If you wish to repost this story elsewhere, you can, but under the following conditions :-
> 
> 1) You must include the disclaimers as they are written now.  
> 2) You can not post it anywhere that charges to read the story.  
> 3) You must credit me as the author.  
> 4) You must tell me where it is posted, so I can keep track of my workds.
> 
>  
> 
> **Notes**
> 
>  
> 
> As you will no doubt have gathered from the sheer volume of character disclaimers, this is a crossover story set in a number of universes. However it is not set in all these universes at once, and the universes are all (to one degree or another) alternate versions of the ones established in their various canons.
> 
> And if all that sounds confusing, that's partly because it is, but don't worry - as you go through the story, you will get the hang of it.
> 
> This story follows from "Harry Potter and The Conclave", and is the second story in The Lords Of Time Series.

"Good morning!" Walter Blythe walked out to the front of the conference room, then gave the rest of his associates a big smile "And how are all my fellow Conclave members this fine and sunny morning?"

"Must you say that every time, brother of mine?" Rilla stared at him with an amused look.

"Traditions are what makes us what we are today, Rilla-My-Rilla" Walter beamed back at her.

"Wasn't it tradition that kept the muggle-born out of The Ministry until the 22nd century?" Luna asked from the back of the room, making Hermione laugh and Walter smile.

"I didn't say they made us better" He admitted "Just that they made us what we are today" He turned and pressed a few buttons, bringing up a list of tasks that the group had performed over the previous week.

"So - time for our weekly review" He continued "First of all - we are expecting two new members any time soon, so Rilla will be running the sweepstake as to who brings them in" Rilla nodded from the side of the room "Merlin and Morgana have already reviewed the recruitment incident, so they will be staying out of it"

"What's the prize this time?"

"A two week vacation to the destination or destinations of your choice" Walter glanced at Amy and Rory "With the usual provisos and restrictions of course"

"Of course" Amy nodded.

"Second - Hermione and Dawn will be working on the expansion charms for the living area over the next day or so, and - as usual - it is best to remain outside of the area while it is going on. Temporal Grace is all well and good, but accidentally being expanded to four times your size is something I would advise against" He looked around, then clapped his hands together.

"Okay - time for reports" He picked up a cap from behind him "Since most of our lives are dictated by what we know has to happen, I thought I'd give today a bit of random fun and frolics" He dropped the cap on the desk, then reached inside it and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Today our first lucky winner is......" He looked down at it "Miss Daria Marie Morgendorffer!" There was a brief round of applause, then Daria stood up and walked to the front of the room.


	2. Join Me For Coffee?

"As you know, we have an alert set up on the time line monitoring programs that triggers a message should one of us - any of us - show up in a place where we probably shouldn't be" Daira explained as she queued up the films she was going to show.

"Some of the time, it is a false alarm" She continued "Given how complex our job is, there will be times when the system picks up something it just doesn't understand and it gets confused" 

"We are working on that" Walter said from the side.

"And some of the time it is a false alarm because we just forgot something that we did" Daria smiled "The most obvious example of this was when the system detected me with Cupid and The St Patrick's Day Leprechaun - it assumed that there had been a massive rip in time and that something needed fixing, where in fact it was just a rip in space, and nothing to worry about"

"You met Cupid?" Luna asked in surprise "What was he like?"

"Imagine Professor Slughorn in a nappy" Jane interjected.

"Do I have to?" Luna shivered in horror, making Daria laugh. 

"But for all the times there are false alarms, there are incidents times when the system is alerting us to something we have to do" She pressed a button, and an image of Lawndale flashed up on the screen "This was one of those times"

xoxox

_I found myself in downtown Lawndale - which wasn't too far from uptown Lawndale, mostly because there isn't a whole lot of town in Lawndale - and, according to the clock on the side of the giant strawberry, it was nearly midnight._

_I knew what I had to do, even though I was feeling more than a little guilty about what I was about to subject my former self to._

Daria looked round, then walked over to the building site on the side of the road. The construction project for the new hospital would be completed six years from that point, and - when it was finally finished - it would be one of the best hospitals in the area.

But now it was barely foundations, and there were a number of bricks lying around.

She picked one up, then walked further along the street until she stood in front of a large, plate glass window.

For a few moments, she looked through it. She had never been to the cybercafe during her old life. True, it had been broken in to and ransacked only a few months after she had arrived in the town, but given her love of computers, and the ease of which she would have been able to keep in touch with Melissa, it did strike her as surprising.

Thinking about all of that - and the memory of playing Pop Goes The Weasel every day for a year - she thought about not doing the job she had been sent there to do.

But, almost at once, she realised just how futile that thought was. If she didn't do it, then she'd rewrite most of her own history - something she had been advised against doing when not within the protective walls of The Conclave. And, more importantly, she knew the experience of reading out her story was one of the more important moments that she and Jane had shared - if she disrupted it then not only would her life be a darker and sadder place, but she also put at risk all the work she and Jane had done since they joined The Conclave.

So - with a final thought about Melissa, about the flute lessons she took as a child, and about that thrice damned weasel song, she drew her hand back and flung the brick she was holding through the window of Alt dot Lawndale dot com.

xoxox

"I love those breaky noises!"

xoxox

Standing across the street, she watched Lawndale's finest arrive and start investigating the scene. For a moment she worried about clues and evidence, but then she gave a soft laugh.

"If I was going to be caught, I already would have been" She said to herself "And since I wasn't, then I won't be" She tilted her head to one side "And there are three witnesses who will swear I am at home, in bed" She paused "Well mum and dad will. Quinn would probably jump at the chance to ship me off to Levenworth" With an amused grin, she took a final look around, then walked off in to the night.

xoxox

"The mystery of who broke in to the Lawndale Cybercafe was one that was never solved" Jane said with an amused grin "According to Tom, the police ran through all the conspiracies from black market computer sales to international terrorists, using the stolen computers to beef up their network capabilities" 

"So a time travelling lesbian who with the power to alter history never occurred to them?" Daria asked with a laugh "Lawndale's finest at their best" She shook her head "How we were not all murdered in our beds?"

"Just lucky I guess" Jane laughed "So - was that it, or....." She trailed off, blinking in surprise a few times "That wasn't it, was it?"

"Not exactly" Daria blushed, making Walter look at her curiously.

"Not exactly?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"We had a slight glitch" Rilla said suddenly "The retrieval circuit went a bit mental, and we couldn't pull her back once she had smashed the window and dumped some of the stuff in to the sewer system"

"And so I had to stay in Lawndale until I could be rescued" Daria said "Which - to be honest - was not my first choice of activity" She started the film again.

xoxox

_As it turns out, the glitch caused the whole of Lawndale to be a no go area for four days - meaning that even though Walter and Rilla fixed it in an hour or so, the next attempt they made to retrieve me happened four days later. Which, as luck would have it, was the night the Cafe Lawndale opened_

Daria stood in the shadows at the back of the coffee house, watching as various acts came on and off stage.

"Can't stand your lips. Can't stand your eyes. Can't stand your teeth. Can't stand your thighs" 

"You know - I think that song is growing on me" She said to herself, then she caught sight of Upchuck walking down the length of the Cafe towards her "But not enough that I want to see Upchuck again" She glanced around, then dodged in to the nearest toilet.

"This is becoming a habit" She said, walking into one of the stalls and sitting down "Why do most of the important moments in my lives seem to end up happening in public bathrooms?" 

"Just lucky I guess" A floating head appeared in front of her "Good evening, Agent Merry" 

"Mr Blythe" Daria nodded politely "And may I - once again - express my profound objection over the choice of my codename?" 

"You may" The hologram of Walter's head nodded.

"Will it do any good?" She asked, then sighed as this time he shook his head "So - am I coming home?"

"There is still a slight bit of interference around your area" Walter went on to explain "All estimates say it will clear in around twenty to thirty minutes, and we should be able to send you a door back to The Conclave then"

"Okay" She nodded "I guess I can wait that long" She paused "I can go out and watch myself cause a riot, which is not something you get to say every day" The hologram laughed, then vanished. Daria leaned her head back against the wall, then got to her feet.

xoxox

"The skull's cool!" Kevin said with a grin, then ducked as Brittany threw her bunch of flowers at his head and stormed off the stage. 

The rest of the football players in the crowd applauded wildly as Kevin bowed, then followed Brittany off in to the wings. A moment later, Daria grinned as as the sounds of a fight filled the coffee house.

Her attention was drawn back to the stage as a goth girl named Andrea walked up to the microphone, and started to read one of her poems.

The first time through, she had been reviewing her own contribution, and hadn't really paid attention to her classmate's recitals. 

But as she listened this time, she realised that the poem was quite good, and - more than that - she realised that all the rumours that were floating around to explain Andrea's standoffish persona were wrong. She wasn't anti-social because she was being abused at home, or because she was on drugs or anything like that.

"Daria?" Cursing under her breath, Daria turned to see Jodie looking at her curiously "Shouldn't you be backstage right now?" 

"Yes" Daria nodded, then she turned and walked over to the stage door, then - glancing behind her - she ducked out of the back door to the Cafe and vanished in to the alley.

"Whatever you are doing, Mr Blythe, you had better get it done quickly" She said to herself, then started pacing back and forth.

xoxox

Five minutes later, she smiled as she recognised a tell-tale shimmer in the air. A moment later, an ornate wooden door appeared, then it slowly swung open.

"Miss Blythe?" Daria stared at Rilla in surprise "I was expecting Agent Longstocking"

"Your usual partner is a little busy, so I thought I would come and take you home, if that's okay?" 

"Of course" Daria grinned, then she threw her arms around Rilla, giving her a hug.

xoxox

Inside the coffee house, Jane Lane glanced out of the window, and frowned. She looked back to where Daria was on the stage, reading her latest story, then looked out of the window again, to where someone who bore a very great resemblance to her best friend was hugging a middle-aged woman she didn't recognise.

She got to her feet, but then there was a sudden flash of light, and the two women disappeared.

She stared at the empty alley for a moment, then gave a mental shrug and turned back to see Daria walking down off the stage to thunderous applause.

xoxox

"From what I remember, history continued as it should - Cafe Lawndale was shut down, and I never had to play the flute again" She realised some of them were looking at her in confusion "Never mind"

"I remember that" Jane said suddenly "I'd almost forgotten, but I remember wondering who the woman was, and how you were in two places at once" She paused "I eventually dismissed it - thought it was someone else who just looked a little like you" She grinned "Or that you had a twin sister no one knew about" 

"How weird would that be?" Daria stared at her thoughtfully, then she looked across at Walter "I don't, do I?"

"No" He shook his head, then looked around the room "Does anyone have any questions for Agent Merry?" 

"Did you work out what caused the glitch? And what made Lawndale a no-go area for four days?" Dawn asked.

"No" Walter said in an annoyed tone "We've traced it to a massive temporal disturbance that caused all of our equipment to flare, but unfortunately the flare pretty much destroyed any chance of recording what it was" He looked around "Any more questions?" He paused, and when there was no response, he smiled "Very well....." He reached in to the hat and pulled out another piece of paper.

"Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger - you're up"


	3. You've Got Red On You

"Alex, Dawn - I know you lived through this the first time, so if you'd like to be excused no one here will mind" Luna said, gazing at the two Agents from Sunnydale. Dawn glanced across at her husband, then looked back.

"Whatever it is, we've probably seen worse" She said calmly. Luna smiled, then looked over at her wife.

"Miss Granger" 

"Miss Lovegood" Hermione smiled back, then looked at the rest of the group "We were tasked to go to Sunnydale in 2002, to 1430 Revello Drive" She paused, glancing at Dawn and Alex "To the day when Willow Rosenberg was shot and killed by Warren Mears"

xoxox

Hermione and Luna walked through the wooden door and found themselves on a long street.

"Where are we?" Luna looked around.

"720" Hermione pointed to the nearest house "About halfway to where we need to be" She glanced at the door, then tapped it twice. A second later, it vanished.

"It's about an hour before the event" She continued "We should get going" 

"Okay" Luna said sullenly. Hermione glanced at her, then pulled her into a hug.

"I know - this sucks" She whispered in to her wife's ear "We are killing someone who should have a long and happy life ahead of them. But you saw what I saw - what Walter, Rilla and Morgana saw" Luna closed her eyes, then Hermione felt her nod against her shoulder.

"I know" Luna said after a moment "But it just seems wrong"

"It is - it's not right and it's not good" Hermione said quietly "But it is necessary - if we don't do this, then next year will be the end of days" She pulled back, staring in to her wife's eyes "I need your help on this, love of my love, but if you don't think you can do it, I can go and get someone else" Luna smiled.

"And let you risk that nut-job on your own?" She quirked an eyebrow at Hermione "Or are you just doing this so you can have a few private moments with the red-head?"

"Yes - you've figured me out" Hermione replied in a flat tone "I am entirely hot for a young woman I've never met" 

"Thought so" Luna smiled, then leaned over and gave her a soft kiss "Okay - lets go" 

xoxox

"Wait....." Alex stood up, staring at Hermione in confusion "Are you saying that Willow was originally supposed to die?" 

"Yes" Hermione nodded in response "She was the one stood in front of the window when Warren attacked Buffy"

"And you changed things?" Dawn asked from her seat next to Alex.

"If you'll let us show you our trip, we'll show you what might have happened if we weren't there" Luna said from behind Hermione. Dawn and Alex stared at her, then they both nodded.

"Okay" Hermione turned back to the screen.

xoxox

"Hey - clothes" Tara smiled as Willow came in to the room.

"Better not get used to them" Willow replied, pulling her girlfriend in to her arms.

"Don't worry - they're just for show" Tara said, her arms encircling the red-head. A second later, they were kissing - softly at first, then a little more passionately. 

"Mmmmmm - Xander?" Tara snorted in amusement.

"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, love" She whispered, making Willow laugh.

"No - Xander" Willow pointed down in to the garden, then walked over to the window "I think they're making up" 

"I hope so" Tara nuzzled Willow's neck "That's the best part" 

xoxox

Hermione and Luna opened the front door to Buffy's house, and slipped inside.

"They're in the master bedroom" Luna said quietly "We've got about three minutes before the incident"

"Okay - when we get there, freeze them both, swap them over, change their memories and let them go" Hermione said "You take the red-head, I'll take blondie"

xoxox

"Guess we've all done a few things we're not proud of" Buffy looked over at her friend.

"I think I've got you beat" Xander said softly. Buffy smirked at him.

"Wanna compare?"

"Lets not and say we did" He grinned back at her, then his smile faded "I don't know what I'd do without you and Wil"

"Lets not find out" Buffy said emphatically.

xoxox

"Ready?" Hermione and Luna were poised outside the bedroom door. 

"On Zero" Luna said with a nod "Three. Two. One. Zero"

They burst in, causing Willow and Tara to turn in surprise.

"Tempus arresto" Hermione and Luna said in unison, then smiled as the entire world stopped. 

"Check the garden" Hermione said quickly, and Luna bounded over to the window.

"Warren is just on the threshold" She called back, then frowned "But....."

"But what?" Hermione asked. Luna stared down in to the back alley, then shook her head.

"Sorry - nothing" She turned back "I thought I saw a shadow - guess it's just a trick of the light" She walked over and stood next to Willow "Okay, Miss Rosenberg, time to put you right" 

xoxox

"Couldn't you have taken the rage and anger out of her?" Dawn asked as the film showed the two mages working on her friends.

"Again - wait 'til we're done, then we'll explain" Hermione said, and Dawn nodded.

xoxox

"Okay - her memory will reflect what it needs to" Luna said.

"So will hers" Hermione nodded at Tara "So - ready to make the swap?"

"Ready" Luna nodded, then drew her wand and levitated Willow in to the air. Hermione did the same for Tara, and moved her next to the window. As she lowered the blond witch to the floor, Luna placed Willow where Tara had been a moment earlier.

"Restart time in one minute" Hermione walked over to the door "But do it from outside the door - we have to not be seen, or things will go very badly"

"I am aware of that" Luna smiled at her wife.

"I know" Hermione said distractedly "But how often in our lives have we done something to prevent the end of days?" 

"Not that often" Luna admitted.

"If we get this wrong, that's it - game over" She and Luna reached the door, and then pulled it closed behind them. 

"Ready to restart?" She asked Luna. Luna nodded "On zero?"

xoxox

"I am sure Alex and Dawn remember what happened next" Hermione said from the front of the room "But for the rest of you - Warren Mears, a truly heinous individual who got exactly what he deserved, shot and killed Tara Maclay and shot and seriously wounded Buffy Summers, the then Slayer" 

"Buffy recovered, but the death of her girlfriend drove Willow into a near psychotic frenzy, that lead to her almost destroying the world" Luna looked out across the assembled group "Happily, our very own Agent Mayhem managed to talk her down, and the world was saved once more" Alex blushed.

"The following year, Willow would perform one of the single greatest acts of white magic seen in the history of the world, and create an army of slayers" Hermione continued "This army, along with the two original Chosen, brought about what was considered the start of The Golden Age" She looked over at Walter "May I?"

"You may" He nodded.

"When Walter dispatched us to Sunnydale, we had a look at the alternative history - what would have happened if we hadn't interfered" Hermione looked back at Dawn and Alex "I know we took the decision to kill Tara in favour of saving Willow, but after reviewing the alternate history, it was felt that we didn't have much of a choice" She turned back and flicked the screen on again.

xoxox

"You think you can just do that to me? You think I'd let you get away with that?" Warren laughed maniacally "Think again" He drew his gun, and fired four shots at Buffy. Then - when The Slayer was down - he turned, fired one more shot at random, then vanished down the alley. 

xoxox

Tara flinched at the sound of glass cracking, then flinched again as the front of Willow's shirt exploded in a burst of red.

"Your shirt....." She said, her mind unable to process what she was seeing. Then Willow collapsed on the ground, and Tara realised her life was never going to be the same again.

Staring out of the window, she saw Xander crossing the garden to where Buffy lay in a pool of blood.

Looking down, she saw her girlfriend - the love of her life - lying dead on the carpet in front of her. 

She closed her eyes, but already she could feel a cold fury building up inside her. Not rage - seeing her girlfriend dead had robbed her of any rage.

But someone had done this, and that someone had to pay.

xoxox

Warren burst in to the demon pub with a burst of energy he hadn't felt before. He had done he - he had killed The Slayer. 

"I didn't know this bar delivered" A vampire said from the corner "Sunnydale must be going up in the world" Warren laughed, then sauntered over to the bar.

"Barman! A drink for everyone! On me!" He threw a wad of notes on the bar.

"In this bar, you ARE the drinks" The bartender replied , but Warren merely laughed.

"Even when I've killed The Slayer" He said, grinning widely. 

"You?" The vampire who had spoken before looked him up and down "You've killed The Slayer?"

"Damn right I did" Warren turned to face him "Killed her in her own backyard....." He trailed off as the building started shaking. The rest of the patrons looked around in fear, then all recoiled as the door was blown off its hinges.

"WARREN MEARS" A loud, booming voice filled the bar "STAND FORTH AND BE JUDGED" A second later, a youngish blond woman floated through the door, her cold, dead eyes staring down at him.

"You killed my friend" Tara said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah - I did" Warren tried to sound defiant, but his voice wavered "She deserved it, the little bit...." His voice cut off as Tara clenched her fist.

"You killed my friend" She repeated in the same quiet, dispassionate tone "And so you must die" She looked around at the other creatures in the bar "Does anyone wish to speak for this man?" Warren looked around hopefully, but every single creature turned their back on him.

"I killed The Slayer!" He said "You owe me!"

"The Slayer?" Tara laughed "You think I am her because of The Slayer?" Throwing her hand up, an image of Willow lying dead on the floor appeared "The Slayer is alive, you pathetic little man, and being healed as we speak" She floated forward until she was in front of him "Do you have any last words?"

"You don't scare me....." He started, but a second later Tara clenched her first again, and his head exploded, showering the bar with blood and gore. Tara stared down at his body, a look of curious interest on her face, then she turned and floated towards the door.

When she reached it, she stopped, and turned back.

"Be out of town by sundown" She said, then vanished through the doorway.

xoxox

"The loss of her one true love flipped the silicon switch" Hermione said quietly as they watched Tara kill Andrew and Jonathan in the same brutal way she had killed Warren "Nothing mattered any more, except for vengeance" 

xoxox

"Tara! You have to stop this!" Giles yelled. Tara stared at him, then shook her head.

"You curtailed her power" She said softly "You got me to go along with making her weak"

"She was using too much dark magic!" Giles insisted.

"YOU MADE HER WEAK!" Tara screamed at him, causing him to recoil slightly "You made her weak, and now she is dead" Giles stared at her, then shook his head.

"Stop thi......" He started, but with a wave of her hand, Tara sent him flying in to The Magic Box wall, breaking his neck on impact.

xoxox

"While Tara did not see the need to destroy the world, the swath she cut through Sunnydale and, more specifically, The Scoobies, left the town devestated and unprotected" Luna said "No one gathered The Potentials after The Council was destroyed, and no one used The Scythe to create The Army of Light" She looked at Dawn and Alex "You, along with Buffy and Anya, died when The Hellmouth opened" 

"And the world?" Alex asked.

"The earth will belong to The Old Ones...." Hermione said.

"....And hell itself will come to town" Dawn glanced at her husband, then slipped her hand in to his.

"I am sorry we let your friend be killed" Luna said "But....."

"But it is the job we have chosen" Alex finished for her "We understand" Dawn nodded in agreement. The room fell silent for a few moments, then Zoe raised her hand.

"Yes?" Hermione looked over at her.

"Luna - what did you see? When you were looking at Warren?" 

"Sorry?" Luna frowned.

"You looked like you saw something, but then it vanished" Zoe explained "What was it?"

"A shadow" Luna said with a shrug "Like I said - it was the light playing tricks. A tree frozen at an odd angle, or a cloud casting a weird image on the pavement"

"Are you sure?" Zoe leaned forward "Because....." She glanced over at Jordan, who nodded encouragingly "Because I think we saw it too"

"Pardon me?" Walter turned to stare at her.

"Can we show you?" Jordan asked "I mean - can we go next, rather than waiting to be picked out of a hat?"

"By all means" Walter waved them to the front.

"Thanks boss" Zoe bounded forward, then turned back to face the group "We think we saw the shadow, because it nearly stopped us from completing our mission"

"And what was your mission?" Gabrielle asked.

"Saving Minnie-May Barry"


	4. Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground

"Anne! Mr Cuthbert!" Diana burst through the door like a missile, flurries of snow coming in behind her "Minnie-May is sick and my parents are away and I think she's going to die!" 

xoxox

"Mr and Mrs Barry, along with Marilla Cuthbert and Rachel Lynde had gone to see The Premier speak, and so almost the whole village was empty" Zoe explained "It was one of the worst blizzards in the village's history, and almost every road was buried in snow" 

"Matthew set off at once for the doctor" Jordan looked at the screen "And he didn't get fifty yards before he ran in to a snow bank" 

"Which is where we come in..... came in" Zoe shook her head "Sometimes these tenses confuse the life out of me"

xoxox

"How are you doing?" Jordan called out. She was keeping watch on Green Gables, and had just caught sight of Diana in the distance.

"It's almost done" Zoe replied, pointing the flame thrower at the last part of the snow bank "We can move on to the next one"

"Excellent" Jordan ducked down as Diana rushed past her "Not a moment too soon - Matthew will be on his way any moment"

"Then lets go" 

xoxox

"We worked through the next two banks, giving Matthew a clear run to Carmody" Zoe paused the film "We knew there was a doctor there, because we'd checked earlier that afternoon"

"But....." Rilla started, then looked across at her brother "Didn't mother say......"

"Yeah" Walter nodded.

"You are about to say that your grandfather didn't find a doctor in Carmody?" Jordan asked, and they both nodded "Well - there is a reason for that"

xoxox

Ducking behind a tree, the two girls hid outside the doctor's house and watched as Matthew drove the buggy down the road towards them.

"Can it really be this easy?" Zoe asked quietly as Matthew drew the buggy to a halt. 

"Maybe" Jordan replied equally quietly. They watched in silence for a few minutes as Matthew climbed down and walked in to the house "Matthew takes the doctor back to Orchard Slope, Minnie-May lives happily ever after, Anne and Diana get back together and the world......" She trailed off as Matthew came back out of the house alone, then got in to the buggy and drove it back down the path. 

"Where's the doctor?" Zoe looked across at Jordan "Shouldn't there be a doctor?" 

"Wait here" Jordan crept along the back of the house, then looked inside. A few moments later, she came back to where Zoe was waiting.

"He's in there, but he seems to be.... phasing" She said quietly.

"Phasing?" 

"In the few seconds I was watching, he went from solid to invisible and back to solid again" Jordan explained "And I am willing to bet if we go in there and try to talk to him, he will vanish completely" 

"I know that Canadian History isn't my strong point, but I am right in thinking no one in this time period has the ability to do that, right?"

"Unless there is a rogue mage around, no" Jordan sighed "We could go home and find out"

"We can't" Zoe said "We have to ensure Matthew gets to the next doctor" She pointed down the road to where Matthew had already pulled the buggy to a halt.

"Good point" Jordan smiled sheepishly "Lets go"

xoxox

"We managed to clear the road to the next doctor but the same thing happened again" Zoe told the rest of The Conclave "However, this time we saw something else" 

xoxox

"There's a shadow" Jordan said as she crouched down next to Zoe. 

"A shadow?" Zoe asked sceptically.

"A shadow" Jordan nodded emphatically "In the corner of the room that the doctor is in" Zoe gazed at her, then smiled.

"Wait here a moment" She crept off, keeping an eye on Matthew as he headed back down the lane, then walked up to the door of the house and knocked.

"ZOE!" Jordan hissed "Get back here!" Zoe waved a dismissive hand, then pushed the door open and went inside the house. 

"Doctor Barker?" She called out, then - when she got no response - she walked into the parlour.

"Doctor Barker" She looked at the man sat in the rocking chair, but he didn't respond "Doctor Barker - Minnie-May needs you" The continued to stare in to space, paying no attention to her.

"Doc....." She started a third time, then caught a burst of movement out of the corner of her eye. Spinning round, she saw a large, black shadow moving along the side of the room.

"Who are you?" She called out. The shadow stopped moving, then vanished. 

"Drat" Zoe turned on her heel, and started to walk out of the parlour, but stopped at the sound of a voice behind her.

"Young lady? Do you need my help?" Turning, she saw Doctor Barker standing up "Are you in pain?"

"Sorry, Doctor - I guess I wandered in to the wrong house" She said, blushing, then she turned and bolted through the door and down the path to where Jordan was waiting.

"I saw it too" She said, skidding to a halt and almost falling on a patch of ice "And I think that - somehow - it is causing the doctors to be invisible to Mr Cuthbert" 

xoxox

"We cleared another five snow banks, then Jordan decided we should try to get ahead of it" Zoe paused "Even if we were not exactly sure what it was"

xoxox

"That's Doctor Carter's house" Jordan pointed to a blue house a little way up the road "It would be Matthew's next destination"

"So you think if this..... shadow is trying to stop him finding a doctor, it will go after Carter next?" Zoe asked "Do you think we're related?" Jordan smirked.

"Maybe he is your great-great-great grandfather" She paused "Either way - keep an eye on Matthew - I'm going to talk to Doctor Carter" She said, then turned and strode down the road.

xoxox

"Doctor Carter?" Jordan pushed the front door open, and went inside "I'm a friend of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert - they need a doctor" She waited a few minutes, but there was no response.

"So you're going to make it difficult, huh?" She looked around, then pushed the kitchen door open and glanced inside.

"Doctor Carter?" She said hesitantly, staring at the older man stood at the kitchen sink "Doctor Carter? Can you hear me?" 

"Doctor Carter?" She span round at the sound of Matthew's voice, then darted across the kitchen into the pantry. Peeking out of the door, she saw Matthew enter the kitchen, look around, then walk out again without saying anything else.

When she was sure he had left, she crept out of the pantry and walked over to stand beside the doctor.

"So why can I see you, and he can't?" She looked him up and down, then slowly reached out her hand.

xoxox

Zoe watched Matthew storm out of the house and jump back in the buggy, then turned in surprise at the sound of a large explosion from Doctor Carter's house.

"What the frak?" She exclaimed, running up the road. A moment later, she caught sight of Jordan running back down the road towards her.

"Was that you?" Zoe asked as they reached each other.

"Yeah" Jordan held out her hand, and Zoe winced as she saw it was burned.

"What happened?"

"Matthew came in and it seemed like he didn't even see Doctor Carter - but the doctor was perfectly visible to me" Jordan looked at her hand "After he'd gone, I tried to shake Carter out of whatever he was in and....." She shrugged "This" Zoe reached into her jacket and pulled out a small metal tube.

"Hold still" She said quietly, then ran the tube over Jordan's hand three times "How's it feel?"

"Better, thanks" Jordan smiled "Although I think I should see Gabby when we return"

xoxox

"You call me Gabby?" Gabrielle asked with an amused look on her face.

"Only when you can't hear us" Jordan admitted.

xoxox

"So what caused the burn?" Zoe asked, slipping the metal tube back in to her jacket.

"Don't know" Jordan admitted "But it happened as soon as I touched his shoulder" She shook her hand "I'd advise against it in the future" 

"Sounds like a plan" Zoe smiled, then looked down the road "Look - someone, or something, is clearly trying to stop Matthew getting to the doctor. So we have to think like them, or we're going to fail and Minnie-May is going to die" She paused "There are three more doctors - which one is he going to go to?" 

"I don't know" Jordan sighed "We could pop home and find out, but by that time the doctors could all be dead" 

"Or....." Zoe gave her partner a devious look "We could do something different" Jordan narrowed her eyes, then smiled.

"What did you have in mind?"

xoxox

Matthew slapped the reigns against the horse, then suddenly yanked them back as he caught sight of someone standing in the middle of the snow covered road.

"Miss?" He called out to the young girl "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Mr Cuthbert, I'm fine" Zoe waved back, then grinned as Jordan crept up behind him and stunned him.

"Where's the nearest doctor?" She called out, and Zoe bounded down the road towards her.

"About two miles east of here" Zoe said breathlessly.

"And the furthest?"

"Spencervale, nearly six miles away" Jordan looked at her thoughtfully. 

"Spencervale it is" She said after a moment, then - helping Zoe up in to the buggy - she slapped the reigns against the horse, and vanished off into the night.

xoxox

"My idea was that if this shadow was getting to the doctors in order, so we would go out of order and straight to Spencervale" Jordan explained to the group, then she smiled "Plus I remember from one of Miss Blythe's earlier stories that Matthew found a doctor in Spencervale, so I figured I'd give it a shot" 

"And did it work?" Dawn asked.

"Yup" Zoe grinned "We woke Matthew up, gave him the memory of driving to Spencervale then he went in and got the doctor"

"We made ourselves invisible and sat on the back of the buggy, just in case anything tried to stop us on the way back" Jordan started the film up again "But either the shadow wasn't expecting us to do what we did, or it just gave up and let us go home, because we weren't stopped by anything - snow, wind, fallen trees or rampaging wildebeest" 

"You get a lot of wildebeest in PEI?" Amy asked with a smirk.

"Not since the great wildebeest stampede of sixty three, no" Rilla shook her head.

"And Matthew and the doctor arrived back at Orchard Slope, only to find that Anne had saved the day already, and that the doctor couldn't do any more" Zoe paused "And while that is all phenomenally good news, it does leave us with one or two questions"

"Why try to stop Matthew getting to the doctor if Anne was the heroine all along?" Xena asked.

"What caused Jordan's hand to burn?" Alex added.

"And what was the shadow?" Jordan finished "I wish we had answers to any of those questions, but at the minute - not so much" She looked over at Walter "And that was the story of our exciting journey to PEI"

"Thank you" Walter walked back to the front "So - does anyone else want to volunteer, or are we back to the hat?" When no one raised their hands, he picked out another piece of paper.

"Okay - next up we have Xena and Gabrielle visiting New York City in 1969" He paused then glanced over at Amy and Rory "Ponds - you are going to have questions about this one, and I promise I will answer them once Xena and Gabby..... Gabrielle have finished" He blushed slightly as Gabrielle rolled her eyes "So if you could hold them until then?"

"The questions or....." Amy glanced at Gabrielle and Xena with an amused grin.

"The questions" Walter grinned back at her "So - Xena?"


	5. Unexpected Song

Gabrielle stared across at her friend, and bit her lip to stop herself smiling. While they had been working through various eras for nearly two centuries, she always found it amusing that Xena had never really found clothes she liked. They were either too warm, too cold or - in this case - it appeared to be too itchy. 

"I know what you're thinking, so knock it off" Xena said darkly, making Gabrielle laugh. 

"How did you know....."

"Because it's what you're always thinking" Xena said "And who designed these fabrics? They rub against my thighs, and my shoulders and....." She trailed off.

"And other parts?" Gabrielle asked with an amused grin. Xena rolled her eyes, then looked around again. 

"Where are we headed?" She asked.

"Somewhere called Fourth and Lexington" Gabrielle glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand "According to Merlin, a young girl is going to be dropped off by a group of...." She stared at the paper, then shrugged "A group of aliens that we won't remember"

"We won't remember?" Xena stared at her in confusion "Do they have the blood of the styx?" 

"Maybe" Gabrielle shrugged "But apparently we have to follow this girl wherever she goes, until she......." 

"Until she what?" Xena looked at her "Am I going to like this?"

"Probably not" Gabrielle shook her head "I don't know if Merlin was being metaphorical when he wrote this, but it says we must follow this girl until she undergoes a change, then protect her....." She trailed off, shaking her head "Now I know he has to be joking" 

"Have you ever known Merlin to joke?" Xena asked with a slight grin.

"Well - there was that one about a centaur, a goblin and a Cyclops that he told at the Christmas Party...." Gabrielle rolled her eyes, then glanced down at the paper again "It says that we have to follow her, protect her and guard her until her future husband comes to save her" Xena raised her eyebrows. 

"And how will we know this future husband?" She asked archly. When Gabrielle didn't respond, Xena asked the question again.

"Apparently" Gabrielle paused "Apparently he will be flying a big blue box" 

xoxox

"Well - we're here" Xena pointed up at the street signs "The corner of Fourth and Lexington in the city state of New York" 

"I think it is just a city in the state of New York" Gabrielle frowned "I miss Greece"

"It was slightly easier to understand" Xena admitted "Even if we did keep getting attacked by monsters, demons and Joxer"

"Hey - Joxer wasn't that bad" Gabrielle slapped her arm.

"You're just saying that because he had a crush on you" Xena laughed. 

"But look who he married" Gabrielle retorted, and the look of annoyance on Xena's face made her burst out laughing.

"So who are we waiting for?" Xena said after Gabrielle had calmed down.

"A girl - about eight or nine" Gabrielle smiled "About the age of Joxer's daughter....." Xena's flicked up, glaring at her, so she raised her hand "Okay - I'll stop with the Meg jokes" 

"Good idea" Xena said with a smile "I would hate to see you end up hanging from that statue over there" She gestured in the direction of the bay, and Gabrielle looked over to see the Statue of Liberty. 

"You wouldn't....." She said, then - at the look on her friends face - she smiled "Okay - no more jok....what's that?" Xena span round, and they both found themselves staring at a tall, gaunt figure "Is it wearing a mask?" 

"No....." Xena shook her head, then looked over at Gabrielle. A second later, she blinked in surprise "What were we talking about?" 

"THAT!" Gabrielle pointed towards the figure in front of her. Xena followed her finger, then flinched back.

"What is that?" She asked. Gabrielle shook her head, then looked at Xena. 

"What is what?" Xena frowned at her friend, then frowned.

"What were we talking about?" Gabrielle shrugged.

"I don't know...." She said, shaking her head. She looked back down the street, but it was empty "Did Merlin give you a time frame for when this girl would appear?" Xena glanced at her watch.

"Sometime around...." There was a flash of lightening, making them both flinch away, and when it faded, a young white girl, dressed in a white nightie and pumps, was stood in the middle of the street. They stared for a moment, then Xena suddenly yanked Gabrielle's arm, and they ducked down behind a metal dumpster. 

"Where did she come from?" Gabrielle hissed. 

"I don't know, but we have to follow her - make sure she doesn't get hurt" Xena whispered back. She stuck her head up, then gestured to Gabrielle as the young girl walked off down the street.

xoxox

Timothy Watson walked down the street, cursing under his breath. His meeting with the parole officer had gone badly - he had a suspicion that Wendall was going to get him returned to jail. 

And all because he had been seen loitering near JFK Elementary School. It wasn't like he had actually approached any of the girls in the school yard - he had just watched them play in their short skirts and ankle socks. 

But apparently ever since he had been caught in the bath with his eldest daughter - and sent to jail for what he still insisted was an innocent tickling game - he was a danger to society and needed to be kept away from all children, and young girls especially. 

Turning on to Lexington, he caught sight of a figure dressed in white. A young figure - a young, girlish figure.

For a moment he stood and stared at the girl as she wandered down the street towards him, then - with a final glanced around him to make sure no one was watching, he started towards the girl.

xoxox

"Xena....." Gabrielle gestured down the street, and her friend nodded.

"I've got him" 

xoxox

Timothy stopped a few yards away from the girl, then ducked into a shop doorway. She'd be walking past him any moment, and once she was in front of him, he could easily creep up behind her and......

He shook his head, clearing it. Getting distracted by the thought of what was to come would only ensure it would go wrong. Taking a deep breath, he quietened his breathing to near silent as the girl ambled past. 

For a moment, he thought she'd seen him, but she carried on past him with no reaction.

He let her get a few more yards ahead, then he slipped out of the door way and started to follow her. 

xoxox

Xena crept along the side of the buildings, keeping the guy in sight at all times. Part of her noted that - as trackers go - this guy was quite good. Either he had had professional training, or he had honed his craft over a number of years.

Quickening her pace, she crept up behind him.

xoxox

Timothy walked along until he was just a few paces behind the girl, then he raised his hands.

A second later, he froze as he felt something cold and sharp pressed against his neck.

"I would think twice about what you are about to do, because that girl is under my protection" A voice - a female voice - said from right behind his ear "Now - if you want to live through the night - or even through the next two minutes - indicate you understand with a single nod" He gulped, then gave a nod "Good - now, walk over to the side of the street, but make no noise" He nodded again, then let her lead him over to the side. 

For the next five minutes, they watched in silence as the girl walked out of sight, then he felt the sword being lowered, and he turned to find himself face to face with a young woman with black hair and deep brown eyes.

"I am going to let you go" She said quietly "But I have friends - friends who see and hear everything that goes on in this city" She paused "If I learn that you have approached another child, come near another child, even thought about another child, then I will come and find you" He stared at her, then gulped "Now go before I change my mind and decide that the world would be a better place without you" He stared at her for a moment, then ran off down the street in the opposite direction.

xoxox

Gabrielle paused the presentation, then looked over at Walter and Rilla.

"I forgot to ask - were we right?" 

"Yes and no" Walter replied "He stayed away from little girls for the rest of his life" 

"But...."

"But the rest of his life was around half an hour" Walter sighed "He was so terrified by Xena's threat that he really didn't pay any attention to where he was going, and ran right in to gang territory. He was killed before he got two blocks in" 

"Oh my" Xena exclaimed quietly. 

"Don't feel too bad" Rilla interjected "He was a despicable man and quite honestly he deserved exactly what he got"

"Do I want to know?" Xena asked. 

"You really don't" Rilla shook her head. Xena smiled.

"Okay"

xoxox

"Did you deal with him?" Gabrielle asked as Xena crouched down beside her.

"I put the fear of Ares in to him" Xena replied, making her friend smile "How's the girl doing?"

"She's in that alley" Gabrielle pointed "She's been in there a little while, but I haven't heard anything bad" 

"Okay - I'll just go take a look" Xena said, then slowly crept forward, and stuck her head around the side of the alley. 

"It's okay......" She heard the girl say, followed by a choking cough "I'm dying..... but it's going to be okay" 

"Gabrielle!" Xena hissed, and a moment later Gabrielle crept up beside her "She says she's dying - should we....." Whatever she was about to suggest was cut short as a blazing yellow light filled the alley and most of the surrounding street. Xena and Gabrielle covered their eyes at the brightness, then - when it faded, they peered round the corner again. 

"Well - okay" Gabrielle said "That's not something you see every day" 

"Merlin did say there'd be a change" Xena added.

"True" Gabrielle nodded "But I wasn't exactly expecting that!" They both stared at the prone form of the young black girl in the white nightdress and white pumps. 

xoxox

"Mels" Rory said quietly, taking Amy's hand.

xoxox

"So how long do we have to wait?" Gabrielle asked, leaning back against the wall "Because I am starting to get a cramp, and I really don't want to think about what this pile of goo is next to me.

"Just until the man with the box arrives" Xena said "We have to make sure the girl - whoever she is - isn't harmed by anyone" She looked over at Gabrielle "You heard what Merlin said - she is possibly the single most important child every to have lived" Gabrielle raised her eyebrows.

"Any idea why?" She asked, but Xena shrugged.

"Just that if she dies, the timelines will be altered beyond repair - beyond anything we could possibly imagine" Gabrielle stared at her in surprise. 

"So pretty important then" She said after a moment. 

"Uh-huh" Xena nodded, then they both looked back in to the alley as it was filled with the sound of gears grinding against each other. 

"What in Hades is that noise?" Gabrielle yelled. 

"Oddly - I think it is a man with a big blue box" Xena yelled back with a smile "Look!" As they stared in to the alley, they saw a blue shape materialise out of thin air. As the noise died down the shape solidified, and a moment later, it seemed to open up, and a man stepped out of it. 

"That's her future husband?" Xena asked in surprise "He's.... he's a lot older than her" 

"But he does have a big blue box" Gabrielle pointed out, then squinted in to the light coming from the box "That guy - does he remind you of someone?" Xena looked him up and down, then nodded.

"Now that you mention it - he does kind of look like that marble salesman from Rome. The one who was working with the Egyptians when we were at the palace"

"Iucundus" Gabrielle supplied "Lucius Caecilius Iucundus" As they watched, the man knelt down, then gently picked up the young girl and carried her in to the box. A few moments later, the air was filled with the grinding noise again, and the box vanished as easily as it had appeared. 

"Our work here is done" Xena said with a smile - a smile which widened a moment later when a wooden door appeared in the air in front of them "And now it's time to go home"

xoxox

The projection stopped, and Gabrielle looked over at Walter.

"Now that we've finished it, do we get to learn the truth?" Walter smiled.

"I can give you the long version or the short version" He said.

"The short version" Gabrielle and Xena said in unison.

"We are not the only group that can travel in time. The man you saw is the last of an ancient race named Time Lords who used to basically do what we do now. However they were all killed in a war, and now the man is the only one left" She paused "Time Lords could also regenerate - when they were close to dying, they could refresh their bodies, for want of a better phrase, and come back to life"

"The man you saw was a later regeneration than the one that married the girl" Amy said suddenly "And the girl was born in to the race of Time Lords because her parents spent a lot of time in the big blue box that you saw" Gabrielle turned to gaze at her.

"Melody" She said after a moment, and Amy nodded.

"Melody Pond - our daughter" She smiled fondly "She married The Doctor - the man you saw - and then died saving his life during a trip to The Library" 

"And if she had been killed?" Xena asked. 

"Time Lords are a race apart, and have their own power to influence the time lines" Rory explained "And for all the power we have, we can't interfere with their lives, and we can't changed fixed points in time"

"And the death of a Time Lord is a fixed point?" Gabrielle asked.

"Oh yes" Amy and Rory replied in unison. 

"Okay" Gabrielle smiled. 

"Walter - why were they given this?" Amy asked, turning back to the front of the room. Walter blushed.

"If you were there - if your daughter was within your grasp - would you have been able to let her go?" He asked kindly. Rory and Amy exchanged glances, then they both shook their heads "I'm sorry I kept it from you, but - given the importance of your daughter in human, alien and galactic history - I really couldn't leave it to chance" 

"We understand" Rory said with a smile. Walter looked over at his sister, who plunged her hand in to the bag, and pulled out another slip of paper. 

"Miss Lane - come on down"


	6. Reflections

"No! There are girls in there rubbing stuff on each other's faces and making weird animal noises!" Daria smirked at the look of fear in Tom's face.

"That's just the opening rites in The Blushathon" She said, still smirking "At least you got out before the rhythmic chanting" He looked at her with a curious expression, which just made her smirk all the more.

"Oh yeah - I think I saw that on the Discovery Channel" He said after a moment "Do you want to get in?" Daria stared at the rust-bucket of a car in front of her, then back at the house. She turned back to the car, then pulled open the door and slipped into the car.

"Do you want to talk about Jane?" She asked after a moment.

"NO!" He said, rather forcefully "I want to talk about our situation" 

"Our situation?" She asked "We don't have a situation!"

"Hey - why is everyone mad at me?" He yelled.

"Why? WHY? I'll tell you why!" She retorted "Because when I moved to this hell hole of a town, I was completely friendless. But then, in the one stroke of good luck I have had in my entire life, I made a friend - a good friend - and I didn't feel so entirely alone. And then you came along and screwed it all up!" 

"What about me?" He snapped back "All I did was meet a girl who I thought was nice. We went out and we had some fun. But then I got bored - is there anything so wrong with that?"

"Would you still be bored with her if I weren't around?" She asked.

"Probably" He admitted "And more to the point, she'd be bored with me!" He paused, then in a quieter voice, added "It's got nothing to do with you"

"Good" She said, crossing her arms "Because I'm not going to go out with you - I'd be stabbing my friend in the back if I even considered it"

"And what kind of jerk would that make me if I went out with her best friend after breaking up with her?" He asked. 

"Exactly!"

"Right!"

"Glad we sorted that out!" They stared at each other for a moment, then Tom leaned over and kissed her. With a soft moan, she put her hands behind his neck, and kissed him back.

A moment later, they broke apart, looks of surprise on their faces.

"Damnit!" She cursed "Damnit!Damnit!Damnit!Damnit!" 

"I liked it too" He said with a soft smile.

"That's not funny" She glared at him, then - before she realised what she as doing - she leaned across and kissed him again, running her fingers through his hair. 

"Yeah" He said after they broke apart "That's really not funny" He leaned back in the car seat "So - I guess we have something to talk about" 

"Yeah" She stared out of the window, not looking at him. 

"So - do you want to talk?" He asked.

"NO!" She said emphatically. 

"Me neither" He sighed, then he reached out and flicked on the radio.

xoxox

Jane froze the projection as the car exploded in a huge fireball. 

"Clearly this wasn't supposed to happen" She said with a bright smile "Not the kissing stuff - that was supposed to happen" She glanced over at Daria, who was now blushing bright red "My wife and I have always shared everything - even boyfriends" 

"Boyfriend!" Daria called out "I only slept with one of your boyfriends!" She paused "That sounded better in my head"

"I would imagine" Jane laughed "Anyway - my wife was supposed to kiss Tom Sloane, because if she didn't do that, then she'd never realise the truth about her own sexuality, and so never been able to convince me of mine" 

"Something I am sure we would have both regretted for the rest of our lives" Daria grinned "Although given what we just saw, the rest of my life was apparently not that long"

"To say the least" Jane let the projection run on "You died almost at once - the fuel tank was on your side of the car. Tom wasn't so lucky - he suffered for a few long, agonising weeks in intensive care before succumbing to his injuries" She paused "Apparently I stayed by his bedside the whole time, the ever dutiful girlfriend" 

"Because I never confessed" Daria nodded understandingly "Sorry" 

"Meh" Jane waved it off "It wasn't really me, so I wouldn't worry about it" She paused "Anyway - since it was obvious that neither Daria nor Tom died in a huge ball of fire, it was obvious that something had happened to change their destinies" She smiled "Or rather, reset their destinies to what they should be, rather than what they were" She looked over at Walter and Rilla.

"Which in this case" She continued "Meant that I got to go back to Lawndale and try to fix my ex-boyfriend's car's electrical system to prevent it sparking out and blowing up him and his then-to-be-future girlfriend" She grinned "Which was pretty much where the trouble started"

xoxox

Jane walked along the road, carrying a small toolbox, a baseball cap pulled down over her face.

When Rilla had told her what she had to do, she had also explained the problem with it.

**Flashback**  
"The night before Tom kissed Daria, where were you?" Rilla asked.

"With Tom at his place" Jane replied "We were....."

"I really don't think you should finish that sentence" Rilla said quickly "But if you are going to fix his car, having him suitably distracted would probably be the best time, right?" 

"You want me to....." Jane started, then trailed off "Okay - yeah, I can see how that makes sense" She sighed "So I have to hide outside Sloane Mansion - which has more security than we do - and not be spotted fixing his car while I am also inside making out with him"

"And you say I never give you any presents" Rilla smiled.

**End Flashback**

She came to a halt outside Sloane Mansion, and looked around. The streets were empty - Lawndale was never that busy a town - and the neighbourhood patrol would not be back for another hour. 

Taking a deep breath, she crept over to the wall, then went along it until she found the gap in the fence that Tom - and later Elsie - had used to sneak out at night. 

xoxox

"I got to the car about five minutes later, and that was pretty much when I realised I had a problem" Jane said as the projection ran on. 

"Let me guess" Gabrielle said "You had no clue what was wrong with the car" 

"Give that lady a kewpie doll" Jane nodded "Turns out that having hundreds of years of experience in temporal mechanics doesn't really translate to having any experience in actual mechanics" She paused, then grinned "But then I remembered that I wasn't alone - I had access to my friends, who had access to every book ever written"

xoxox

"Agent Longstocking?" Rory stared in surprise at the communication console "I thought you were out on a job?"

"I am" Jane replied "And can I - once again - voice my objection to that codename?"

"You can, but since you picked Agent Merry's name, you would have to appeal to her better nature" He grinned as the sound of a snort of derision came through the panel "So - to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have to stop a car exploding after the radio is turned on, but it turns out that studying art and time travel doesn't exactly translate to understanding the internal electrics of a car" She paused "So - any suggestions?" 

"It sounds like a short somewhere in the main bus" Rory replied "I can talk you through trying to find it, but there is a minor problem" 

"A minor problem?" 

"The quickest way to find the short is by running current through various wires" He paused "However....."

"However when I find it, it's possible that I would trigger the same explosion that killed Daria and Tom, which I am not sure would make things better"

"Bright side? It would probably only kill you" Rory said with a smile, then - when there was no response from the other end - he added "Amy keeps telling me I need to work on my sense of humour"

"You should listen to her" Jane said with a slight grin. 

"So - I have an alternate solution, but it's one that's a little hard to explain" He paused "How long are you and Tom going to be...... distracted?" He asked.

"From what I remember, another thirty minutes or so" She replied "Then he's going to make a comment about Daria, I'm going to yell at him, we're going to get in a bit of a fight and I'm going to storm out" 

"Sounds fun" He said "But it gives us enough time to do what we need to do" 

"Which is what?" She asked.

"Which is to steal his car from the other timeline - the one you are about to create" 

"WHAT?"

xoxox

"WHAT?" Jane looked back at the group as five people shouted out in unison, then - as one - turned to stare at Rory. 

"It wasn't that crazy an idea" He said defensively "We wouldn't take it out of time earlier, because then it wouldn't be there, and we couldn't replace it with another car because - as much of a dumb-ass as Tom seems to be - he would have noticed a brand new car" 

"Dumb-ass?" Daria asked.

"He had not one but two beautiful young women as his girlfriends, and he screwed both of them over" Rory shrugged "Dumb-ass"

"He has a point" Jane said.

"True" Daria admitted "But since both of those young women turned out to be gay, and in love with each other, I am not sure it's entirely his fault" Jane laughed.

"She has a point" She said, looking at Rory.

"Either way - the only really safe solution was to take the car that was fixed and put it there" He paused "It also had an added bonus - we wouldn't need to put it back where it belongs, because Tom would do that for us" Alex stared at him with a slight frown.

"You know - I hate temporal mechanics" He said after a moment, make Dawn burst out laughing. 

"Don't worry sweetie - I'll explain it to you later" She leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Thank you darling" He grinned, then looked back at Jane "Oh - sorry. Please continue"

"Thank you" Jane grinned "So - after I got over the initial shock of what Agent Stream had suggested, I came to the same conclusion that he had. Which just left the actual implementation of the plan" 

xoxox

Rory flipped the switch on the panel, and then turned to his wife.

"Ready to start your life of larceny, love of my life?" Amy grinned.

"If our daughter can steal a car when she's twenty one, then I think we can manage it at the age of two hundred and fifty seven" She replied "Lets go"

xoxox

They appeared outside the Morgendorffer house, and found the car sat there.

"I guess they patched it up" Rory grinned "Okay - if you can open the portal back to Agent Longstocking, I'll start the car and drive it through" 

"Yes, boss" She gave him a brisk salute, then turned and started configuring the band on her wrist. Rory watched for a moment, then - taking a deep breath - climbed in to the car and, after a silent prayer, turned the ignition. 

xoxox

"You really thought it might explode?" Daria asked.

"You try watching a car explode once and see how eager you are to be the next person to risk shorting it out" Rory replied.

xoxox

"Come on" Jane glanced up at the house, then back along the drive. Her make-out session with Tom would be coming to it's inevitable conclusion in around five minutes, and there was no sign of Agents Lake and Stream.

"If you aren't here soon, I'm going to steal the car and drive it off a cliff" She said to herself, then she saw the tell tale sign of air distortion ahead of her and a moment later, a huge door appeared. 

"Greetings, Agent Longstocking" Amy nodded "Are you ready?"

"Yup" Jane nodded "Is Mr Pond bringing the car?"

"He's just driving it through now" Amy replied "And he really doesn't like being called Mr Pond" She stepped to one side as a carbon copy of Tom's car came through the rift in space "Okay - hubby of mine is going to park the car, then we are going to push that car back through the doorway, then come back and put this car back in position,then go back through and take the old car to The Conclave for disposal" She paused "That all made sense, right?"

"Of course it did" Rory said, climbing out of the car "And after this, I will show you how to organise a volleyball tournament between sixty four teams, all of which have the same name" Amy grinned.

"Lets get to work"

xoxox

Half an hour later, the three agents pushed the original car through the portal, ending up in the White Room at The Conclave. 

"One question?" Jane looked at the two Ponds "When you said we'd dispose of it here, did you actually have a plan for that?" She watched as the husband and wife team exchanged glances, then grinned.

"Well - if it's okay, I will leave this up to you, because I have to go back to Lawndale to check that Daria and Tom make it through tomorrow night, so she can go ahead and break my heart the day after" She realised they were now staring at her with the same amused expression.

"Yeah - this is turning out to be one of my stranger days on the job"

xoxox

"And the rest, as they say, is history" Jane flicked the projector off "Daria and Tom had their little bit of illicit smoochies, she confessed, I blew up - not literally - and we spent the summer apart where I got hit on by a girl named Alison and Daria saved the life of a young boy named Link" 

"It's true" Daria admitted when everyone turned to look at her "Without me there, he had no one to talk to, no one who could sympathise with him, and the night after O'Neil's camp finished, he went home and shot his step-father" 

"Also without Daria's calming influence" Jane paused for Daria's amused snort "Anothony DeMartino got far too stressed out, strangled Mr O'Neil and then went on a shooting spree that took eight lives before the police finally brought him down" She smiled "All in all - a good nights work" She realised people were looking at her as if she was mental, then she laughed "I meant changing the car so it didn't blow up - not the shooting spree"

"I was hoping" Jordan grinned. 

"How did you end up disposing of the car?" Alex asked. Rory looked at Amy.

"It was your idea, love" He said, and she smiled.

"You know that scene in Gone With The Wind? The one where they torch Atlanta?" She said "Well......."


	7. The Greater Good

"You know - as dark, scary and disturbing places go, post Revolutionary France isn't all that bad" Amy looked around the forest as she and Rory walked towards the nearest town. He turned and stared at her, making her laugh.

"I've seen that expression before, Mr Pond" She said with a grin "And I am not suggesting we settle down and raise a family here - I am just saying it could be worse" 

"True" He nodded "There could be dinosaurs, giant spiders, weeping angels....." He trailed off, looking around "Did you see that?" 

"What?" She looked round, but he shook his head.

"Sorry - I thought I saw....."

"A puddy tat?" She smirked.

"A shadow" He admitted, knowing what her reaction would be.

"A shadow? In a dark, shadowy forest?" She put her hand up to his forehead "Are you feeling alright, love of my heart?"

"I'm fine" He smiled "So - who is this girl we are trying to find?" Amy watched him a moment longer, then looked down at the pad in front of her.

"She is the daughter of a factory worker in Montreuil-sur-Mer, but has been left to be raised by the local Inn Keepers" She looked up "The father left the mother when he found out she was pregnant, and the mother had to move to find work" 

"Poor woman" Rory sighed.

"It's worse than you think" Amy said, then held the pad out for him to read.

"She died?" He asked in surprise.

"Apparently there was a dispute at the factory, and - being a young, unmarried mother - she got the blame" Amy continued reading "Apparently the welfare state was non existent, so she ended up working as a prostitute, where she was attacked and beaten by one of her customers" She rolled her eyes "But because he was one of the elite, the arresting officer took his side and tried to arrest her for getting blood on his shoes"

"Lovely man" Rory said, making Amy smile.

"If it helps, he gets his just deserts in the end" She said quickly "But anyway - the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer is coming here to adopt the girl, and take her away to a better life, and we have to ensure he finds her" 

xoxox

"Hold on" Luna called out, making Rory stop the projection "This man - this mayor - isn't he a wanted criminal?" 

"Depending on your point of view" Amy replied "He was released on parole after he served his sentence, but then - finding the world to be grossly unfair and unwelcoming to ex-convicts, he went on the run" 

"So he is a wanted criminal and a fugitive?" Luna asked "This is the guy you had to hand over a child to?" Amy smiled.

"There were a few other options, but honestly - this guy was the best choice" She paused "And he really did raise her very well"

"Wasn't he the one that joined the revolution and then betrayed them to the authorities?" Hermione asked, making Amy look at her.

"That's not what happened...." She said hesitantly "Well - not exactly" She paused "I suppose it depends on your point of view"

"Doesn't everything in life?" Alex asked "Or was Star Wars lying to me?" There were a few laughs. 

"Valjean joined the School Boy Rebellion because his adopted daughter's boyfriend was fighting on the barricades, and he went there to protect him" Amy paused "Valjean went there to protect Marius that is - I realise that sometimes I need to be clearer about my male pronouns"

"Tell me about it" Rory said with a slight grin.

"Hey - I apologised about that, stupid face" She replied, making him stick his tongue out "Anyway - he went to the barricade at the Rue De Villette to ensure that Marius made it through the battle" 

"But while he was there, he found another volunteer" Hermione said "A man named Javert"

"Inspector Javert?" Dawn asked. Amy turned to stare at her.

"Did EVERYONE know about this mission?" She asked in annoyance.

"It was a slow day yesterday" Dawn admitted, and Hermione and Luna nodded.

"Okay" Amy rolled her eyes "Since you all seem to know so much about it, I will tell you what I think, and then you can give me your opinions, okay?"

"Okay" Hermione, Luna and Dawn said in unison.

"Thank you" Amy exhaled "When he arrived at the barricade, Valjean encountered Javert - a police Inspector who had been chasing him ever since Valjean broke his parole and went on the run. Valjean was given the power of life and death over Javert, and Javert - being a martinet of the worst kind - assumed Valjean was going to kill him" 

"But he didn't?" Alex asked, then smiled "I really don't know - I haven't seen the timelines"

"Valjean spared his life, then went on to save Marius' life when the barricade attacked" Amy continued "At which point they escaped, and lived - more or less - happily ever after" She turned to Luna and Hermione "Ladies?"

"At that point Javert had been with the rebels for what? Twelve or fifteen hours?" Hermione asked.

"About that, yeah" Amy nodded "If you exclude the part where he went off to betray them and get them all killed" 

"So by that point he'd have a fair idea of the layout and disposition of their forces?" Hermione continued, and Amy nodded again "So when Valjean spared his life, and let him go, he would return to the Paris Police with full knowledge of the strength of the rebels, and where their weaknesses might be" 

"You're suggesting that if Valjean had killed him, or at least not released him, the rebellion might have succeeded?" Amy asked.

"He handed over a spy to the people that the spy was spying for" Hermione said "If he'd manage to obliviate him first, that might have worked" She paused "Valjean wasn't a mage, was he?"

"Not so much, no" Amy shook her head, then looked at Luna "What's your problem with him?" 

"He repeatedly broke the laws for his perception of what served the greater good" Luna replied "He only bothered with Fantine because he felt guilty, he took Cosette from the Thénardiers by giving them enough money to overlook the fact he might be a paedophile, he continually lied to Cosette about her past and his past, he ran away from every problem he encountered and, as my lovely and perceptive wife has pointed out, he contributed to the downfall and failure of the rebellion and the deaths of almost everyone involved" She paused, then shrugged "As father figures go, I can suggest better ones" Amy stared at them for a moment, then smiled.

"Would it help to know that - if he didn't find her in the woods, there were only four other futures that Cosette had coming" She said.

"Which were?" Gabrielle asked.

"First - she tripped, got knocked out and died of exposure" Amy said "And - by the way - that was pretty much the best of the group"

"I hate to think about the others....." Xena said.

"Second - she got lost and was attacked by a pack of wolves" Amy said "Her body was found the following morning"

"Good god" 

"Third - a year or so later, she was beaten to death by Madame Thenardier when her husband walked out on her" Amy paused "And fourth - after Madame Thenardier walked out, leaving her husband with the two girls, he started using Cosette....." She stopped as a chorus of 'stops' interrupted her. 

"Anyway - suffice to say, growing up in a loving, caring home, even if Valjean was not entirely forthcoming about her past, was probably a good life compared to some of the alternatives" Amy looked around "So - Rory and I were out in the forest, ensuring that Cosette didn't get eaten by monsters and her future father didn't get lost and walk in to a tree"

"Did that....." Alex started.

"Twice" Rory smiled "But we picked him up and sent him on his way" 

xoxox

"How is this man a hero to the common man?" Amy asked as Valjean tottered away in to the darkness. 

"Hey - they made The Doctor a hero and he sometimes doesn't remember what day it is" Rory replied, then grinned as Amy whacked him on the arm.

"That's our future..... past.... present son-in-law you are talking about!" She said. 

"I know" Rory grinned, then looked over to the west "Cosette should be arriving at the well - do you want me to go check on her?"

"Maybe I should?" Amy suggested "How do you think she'll react to a strange man coming up and watching her?"

"I would stay out of the way - she'd never see me" He smiled "But on the other hand, maybe you're right" He paused "What am I saying - you're always right" 

"And Melody said you could never be trained" Amy grinned, then walked off in to the forest. 

xoxox

"La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" Amy watched as the young girl pumped the handle of the well a few times, then held the bucket underneath was the water poured out. 

"How does she stay so happy?" Amy said to herself "And was this was Melody went through when they took her?" She continued to watch the young girl singing to herself, then blinked in confusion as she saw a dark shadow move across the forest in the distance. 

"Was that what Rory saw?" She said to herself, then - with another glance at Cosette - started to edge her way around the clearing, aiming to put herself between the on coming shadow and the young girl they'd been sent to protect. 

xoxox

"If he falls over again, I'm going to stab him" Rory said to himself as he watched Valjean creep further in to the forest. Happily, the man in front of him managed to keep his feet in the ice and snow, and pretty soon he was walking into the clearing and slowly approaching Cosette.

"Pssst" He jumped, then turned to see Amy walking up to him. 

"Agent Lake" He smiled "Looks like we are done here" 

"I know" She said intently "But I saw a shadow" She braced herself for the sarcasm that she deserved, but instead he simply looked over her shoulder.

"Where?" He asked quietly. 

"It was over there" She pointed across to the side of the clearing "It looked like it was coming for Cosette" She paused "But it vanished once Valjean came along"

"It was scared of Valjean?" Rory raised his eyebrows in surprise "That really doesn't sound right"

"I know" She sighed "The alternative was that it was after me - but how would it even know I am here?" He looked at her thoughtfully, then they both turned as a wooden door appeared behind them. 

xoxox

"So - another shadow" Rilla said thoughtfully, then she glanced at her brother "Think we should take this to the bosses?"

"Maybe, yeah" Walter nodded, but turned as Alex raised his hand.

"You might want to wait until you've heard what we have to say" He glanced at Dawn "Because I think it is probably connected"

"Okay" Walter nodded "Show away"


	8. Read All About It

"Frak a yak!" Dawn exclaimed as they appeared in the car park "That building is really on fire!" 

"Kind of why we're here sweetie" Alex replied glancing around to see if anyone had seen them appear. When he was sure they were alone, he pulled out a pair of breathers, and handed one to his wife.

"Okay - Agent Caralon should have downloaded a floor plan to our watches, so sweetie - do you want to take the back?" Dawn looked at him.

"I thought that was more your area" She said, wiggling her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes, then smirked.

"You realise that the rest of The Conclave are probably going to review this at the next meeting" He said, then burst out laughing as her eyebrows shot in to her fringe.

"So I've just announced to the rest of our friends that you....."

"Yes"

"And that I like...."

"Yes" 

"And that we....."

"Yes!" He threw his hands up in the air "Unless you want to go back and change this part of history, we are probably going to be teased a great deal when we get back" He paused "So - can we go and save the editor, or are we going to go back into the past to rewrite the last five minutes?" Dawn stared at him for a moment, then shrugged.

"We've been teased before" She said flippantly "And we'll probably get teased again" She lowered her voice, then leaned over and whispered something in his ear. When she finished, and straightened up.

"Really?" He asked.

"Really" She nodded "She told me herself" Alex stared at her for a moment, then grinned.

"Well - you learn something new every day" He said, then glanced around "Do you this she is watching this as well?" 

"Almost certainly" Dawn nodded emphatically "And no doubt trying to work out what we're talking about" She paused "Oh this is going to be fun"

xoxox

Dawn glanced around the conference room, and saw that most of the women were now looking at her with the same - slightly annoyed expression. 

xoxox

"So - if you go round the back...." Alex started, then slapped her when she smirked at him "Stop it - this is serious!"

"Yes, dear" She said in a sexy voice.

"If you go round the back, you can start fighting the fire from there, while I'll go in through the front" He continued "According to the history, the fire started off as electrical, but is now pretty much burning everything in sight, so standard techniques should be okay" 

"Okay" Dawn nodded, looking more serious "How do we wake her up?"

"How about we cross that bridge when we come to it" Alex suggested.

"Okay Xand-Man...." She trailed off as a dark shadow crossed his face "Sorry - force of habit"

"No worries, Dawn Patrol" He grinned then leaned over and kissed her "Now - lets sally forth and seek our pray" 

xoxox

Holding up the small hose, Dawn made her way slowly along the secret tunnel Colin Matthews had built in to the Junior Gazette Offices.

"Why does a marketing guy need a secret tunnel?" She asked herself, blinking away the smoke that was starting to bother her eyes "And why didn't I get Alex to give me a mask?" 

She pushed ahead and reached a solid wall. 

"Okay....." She trailed off, staring at the wall "So if the lever to open the secret door is on the other side of the secret door, how do I open it from this side of the door?" 

xoxox

Alex flicked the portable hose around the main corridor, damping down the flames as he walked through them. 

"Jesus!" He thought to himself "How is anyone supposed to survive this!" He paused, then blushed "Oh yeah - that's why she's got us" 

He reached the main entrance, then glanced to his right.

"I suppose I should check the bathroom" He thought "Just in case there is anyone else trapped in here" He paused at the door when he realised it had a 'ladies' sign, then shook his head.

"For the love of god - I am worrying about going to a girls' bathroom when the entire building is burning down around me?" He yelled, then he kicked the door open.

xoxox

"Genetic memory" Rory said "Men are programmed from around the age of eleven that girls' toilets are out of bounds" 

"Really?" Amy looked at him "Why?"

"Because that's usually around the time girls start to grow up" Hermione said with a slight smile "And aside from the general man's reaction to periods and so forth...." She paused as Walter, Rory and Alex all pulled the same 'ick face' ".....no man, no matter how old, wants to be even thought of as leering at little girls"

"True" Alex nodded "I waited until Dawn turned nineteen before making a move, even though it was pretty obvious she wanted me"

"Well who wouldn't" Dawn grinned, making Alex blush. 

"So basically men are conditioned to avoid ladies toilets because we don't want to look like weirdos or perverts" Rory finished "But women don't have the same problem, because......."

"Because - as a rule - women are less likely to be perverts than men?" Luna suggested, then she grinned as Dawn, Gabrielle, Hermione and Alex all snorted in amusement "I said as a rule" She added, making everyone laugh. 

"Anyway" Alex said, glancing back at the screen "I checked the bathroom - found it empty - then made my way back to the main entrance"

xoxox

Alex glanced through the glass in the main doors, then winced.

The fire was raging through the office almost entirely unchecked. And - lying in the middle of this tempest - was a young woman with bushy brown hair.

"Okay" He took a deep breath, then he kicked the door open and suddenly realised that - however bad the flames had looked through the glass - that was nothing compared to what they were like in the room.

xoxox

"Oh - screw this" Dawn exclaimed, then she took a step back and kicked the door as hard as she could.

A moment later, the door collapses inwards, and was replaced by a massive wall of fire. 

"Okay - that went well" She said, before dropping to the ground and letting the flames shoot over her. 

xoxox

"Out of curiosity" Dawn asked, pausing the projection "Why did you not send the two women who can magically control fire to deal with this?" 

"Because while they can control fire, I am pretty sure you and Alex can't stop time" Rilla replied "And while we do sometimes let people interact with their own past, we rarely let them do it directly, and there was no way that we were going to ask you to ensure Tara's death by putting her in the firing line"

"That does actually make a lot of sense" She paused "Sorry - you know - for questioning your plan"

"Hey - we're not gods, just immortal time travellers like everyone else" Rilla smiled, making Dawn laugh. 

xoxox

After the fire had exploded over her, Dawn turned the hose on it with a vengeance, and started to push through Colin's vacated office.

Pointing the hose down, she blasted the flames away, making a path towards the door. 

xoxox

Alex blasted the curtains with water, causing them to fall off the runners and land in a burning heap on the ground.

"You know - when I asked Rilla if I could take Dawn on a hot date, I am fairly sure this wasn't what I had in mind" He turned back and doused down the flames on the far side of the room down - knocking a few dozen box files off in the process. 

"Yo! Alex!" He looked over at the muffled cry from the far side of the room, and grinned as he saw Dawn emerging from the stock room. 

"Dawnie!" He smiled in relief, looking her up and down "You okay?"

"I'm good" She called back "How you doing?"

"I've been worse" He shouted, then looked around "I can't remember when, but I'm sure I've been worse!" She looked like she was laughing. 

"If you take the left, I'll take the right" She yelled.

"Okay!" He turned his hose to his left, and continued to douse down the shelves. A moment later, he realised that Dawn was doing exactly the same thing "I thought you were taking the left?" 

"I am!" She stared at him, then laughed "So how about you take your right, and I take my right?" 

"Okay then!" He span to his right and started hosing down the curtains on the floor, moving on to the contents of the desk, blasting a sign that read "Da Boss" on to the floor. 

Dawn, in the meantime, managed to soak the right hand side of the room so much that the entire shelving unit collapsed in to a heap against the wall. 

xoxox

"To cut a long story short, we managed to put most of the fires out, then we were faced with the problem of how to wake up an eighteen year old girl, who was probably suffering from smoke inhalation, without being seen and without scaring the crap out of her" Alex said "Turns out that we actually had a pretty easy way"

xoxox

"Three. Two. One. ZERO!" Standing in the shadow of Colin's office, Dawn and Alex let their hoses squirt outwards, soaking Lynda's face. 

A second later, she woke up, choking and spluttering. 

Pulling the doors closed, Alex peered through the keyhole as Lynda staggered to her feet, then stumbled her way out of the office and in to the car park at the front of the building. 

"A job well done" Alex said, then noticed Dawn was frowning "D?"

"This fire started when Lynda stuck her hand in to some faulty electrics" Dawn said quietly "It sparked, and set fire to some of the files near the socket"

"Yes" Alex nodded.

"So why were they suddenly faulty?" She asked "Before we came here, I checked the records the day before and they were perfectly fine" He glanced towards the office, then turned back to her.

"Want to find out?" 

xoxox

"You went back to the office earlier the same day?" Amy asked "Weren't you worried about being caught?"

"A little" Alex admitted "But Dawning Glory...."

"I thought I asked you never to call me that again" His wife interjected.

"......was right - the electrics were fine twenty four hours before, and yet they were clearly faulty after Spike walked out" He paused "Do you think that kid was named after William?" He realised Dawn was staring at him with a 'You are so cute' expression "Probably not"

"Anyway - we went back to earlier that morning, and hid out in Colin's office" 

xoxox

"Alex?"

"Yes Dawn?"

"What if someone actually did cause this?" She paused "Do we stop it?" 

"I don't know" He admitted "I think that is more of a call for the senior staff - saving Lynda is one thing, but preventing her from being in danger is another" 

"True" She looked around "Another question?"

"Of course"

"Why does this guy have three boxes full of teddy bears? And why do most of them have no heads and knives sticking up from their shoulders?" Alex looked over, then turned back to her

"I think that is another question for the senior staff" He grinned, then peered out of the door "Heads up - there's something happening" Dawn walked over and squatted down below him so she could peer through the door as well. They watched Spike walk out of the room, without a backward glance, then they both frowned as the passage outside the newsroom suddenly darkened.

"Is that...." She whispered.

"I think so, yes" He nodded, and together they watched an almost invisible shadow glide through the doors at the far end of the room, and along the shelving units on the right. 

"How is that doing that?" Dawn said quietly "And what is it?" 

"I have no clue" He admitted "I can't think of anything we've seen that is even vaguely like that" He paused "Although that is something I recognise" 

"What?" Dawn asked, squinting against the light coming from the window behind Lynda's desk.

"The gun" Alex said "The gun that the shadow is holding - doesn't that look familiar?"

"Actually..... yeah" She said "It looks pretty much like the ones....." Before she could finish, the gun exploded in to life, firing a taser bolt in to the electrics.

Almost at once they started sparking furiously, and a second later, Lynda got to her feet and walked over to the socket.

"We should go - we'll be here soon" Dawn grinned as her boyfriend's pronouncement. 

"You know that makes you sound crazy, right?" She said, still smiling.

"True, but we can discuss this after we get out of here" 

xoxox

"So what was the gun?" Walter asked, looking unusually serious. Dawn glanced at her husband, then walked over to the door and out of the conference room. 

"You didn't upset her" Alex said quickly at Walter's confused expression "She's just going to get something to answer your question"

"Oh - okay" Walter smiled, then they both turned as Dawn walked back in, carrying one of the taser pistols they used during some of their more complex missions.

Placing it on the table in front of the projector, she turned back to Walter.

"The shadow - the one that caused the electrics to spark and nearly caused Lynda to burn to a crisp - was carrying one of these" She said quietly "So unless you can tell me that we are not the only agency carrying these, I'd say we have a pretty serious problem" Walter stared back at her, then sighed. Dawn closed her eyes.

"We are the only agency, aren't we?" She asked.

"Yes" He replied.

"Well - frak"


	9. Epilogue

For a few moments, everyone stared at the screen, then Walter stood up and walked to the front, attracting everyone's attention.

"So - clearly we have some things to talk about" He said in a quiet voice "Either an outside agent is going to break in to The Conclave and steal one or more of our weapons, or....."

"Or someone here is going to go rogue" Alex said calmly "Which seems unlikely, but given everything I've seen - both since I started here and in the Sunnydale years before that - I wouldn't say it's impossible"

"Quite" Walter nodded "But since the rules forbid us to scan our own timelines, and scanning the timeline of every other creature in existence to see if they come here and break in would take more time than we actually have, I think we are just going to have to wait and see what happens"

"God I hate that" Xena sighed.

"You and me both" Walter grinned "But in the meantime we have things to do - we are coming up to the fall of Sunnydale in about two weeks time, and pretty soon after that Agents Arc-Angle and Eris have to go and pick up Mr Potter and Miss Perk before their untimely deaths" He paused, then looked over at the two women in question "The untimely deaths being those of Harry and Sally, not you two"

"I was hoping" Hermione grinned.

"So - since we have stuff to do, lets go" He dismissed the group, and one by one, they filed out. 

As Dawn pulled the door open, she turned to find her husband staring at the projector with a thoughtful expression. 

"Hon?" She called out, apparently startling him out of his thoughts and making him jump "Penny for them?" Alex grinned.

"You sure they're worth that much?" He asked with a laugh, then bounded over to join her as they walked out of the room.


End file.
